Tank construction



March 31, 1936. c. P. M NEIL TANK CONSTRUCTION Filed Sept. 29, 1935 ENVENTGR czauae HMN9LL BY 1 E LL. W

AEORN Y Patented Mar. 31, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE TANK CONSTRUCTION ration of Indiana Application September 29, 1933, Serial No. 691,530

8 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in tank construction and more particularly to sheet steel tanks having concrete bottoms.

Considerable difficulty has been experienced through the use of steel tanks for the storage of oil and other fluids wherein the bottom of the tank is constructed of a bed of concrete, in maintaining an adequate fluid tight seal at the joint between the concrete and the metal walls of the tank. This condition is particularly noticeable in climates wherein frequent fluctuations of temperature take place and is attributable chiefly to the difference in expansion coeflicients of the steel and the concrete.

An object of the invention is to provide a new and improved tank construction incorporating sheet steel side walls and a concrete bottom wall wherein leakage between the side walls and the concrete bottom is precluded regardless of conditions such as would cause unequal expansion between the metal walls and the concrete bottom.

Another object is to provide an improved tank construction, the features of which may be embodied in a tank during the construction thereof or which may be embodied in an old tank upon the reconditioning of the tank as by the placement of a concrete bottom over the original and corroded or otherwise inefficient metal bottom.

A further object is to provide an improved tank construction which is simple in form, which may be erected at relatively small labor cost and of standard materials.

Other objects, the advantages, and uses of the invention will be apparent upon reading the following specification and claims and after consideration of the drawing, forming a part of this specification, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view of a storage tank constructed in accordance with the invention;

Fig 2 is a fragmentary horizontal sectional view of the tank illustrated in Fig. 1, parts thereof being broken away;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view of the joint between tank wall and concrete bottom as shown in Fig. 1; and

Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 3 of a modified joint structure.

In the drawing I have illustrated an all steel tank having side walls 2 of fabricated steel plate and a steel bottom 3 joined to the side walls through the medium of a steel angle 4 riveted and caulk-welded thereto, the tank shown being a re-conditioned tank, made serviceable through the installation of a concrete bottom therein installed in accordance with my invention.

The concrete bottom comprises a layer of concrete substantially four inches thick, as shown at 5, which may be laid directly upon the metal 5 bottom 3. A six inch steel angle 6 having one leg curved laterally to follow the curvature of the inner side of the tank wall 2 is fixed to the tank wall, as by a series of plug-wells l, which may be approximately one and one-half feet 10 from center to center, about the circumference of the wall. The remaining leg of the angle 6 is embedded within the peripheral portion of the concrete bottom as shown at 8. I prefer to employ an angle 6 of greater rigidity than the steel tank walls 2. In order to provide for a. fluid-tight connection between the side walls 2 and the angle 6 a caulk-weld may be applied to the joint between the angle and the side walls of the tank, as shown at 9.

In the present instance I have illustrated a storage tank having a central vertical column H such as employed to support a conventional roof structure (not shown). A sheet steel fin I2 substantially ten inches in diameter and of three-sixteenth inch stock may be caulk-welded, as shown at 13, to the base portion of the column and entirely embedded within the concrete bottom 5. In order to facilitate installation the fin I2 may be constructed of two 180 segments I4 welded at adjacent and contacting edges l5 subsequent to the disposition of the segments about the base portion of the column.

A wire mesh I6 is employed to provide reinforcement to the concrete bottom wall and may extend horizontally throughout the entire extent of the concrete bottom in a plane slightly above the plane of the embedded leg of the angle 6 and the fin I2. I prefer to employ'a screen of N0, 11 gauge iron wire of three-quarter inch 40 mesh, although it should be understood that other reinforcing structure such as commonly employed in concrete bodies may be substituted therefor.

A storage tank constructed as herein described possesses all of the advantages of a concrete bottomed tank but is entirely free of the dimculties ordinarily presented in tank structure of this general type, namely the development of serious leakage at the joint between the steel side walls and the adjacent surfaces of the concrete. Such leakage is apt to occur very quickly in a steel and concrete tank of ordinary construction because of the differences in the coemcient of expansion of the steel and concrete.

This condition is particularly aggravated through constant fluctuations in temperature, either climatic or, resulting from the changing of the contents of the tank, such as when the tank is employed in a production unit as distinguished from a storage unit.

In the case of a tank embodying the features of my invention the angle 6 is free to move with the side wall 2 of the tank during normal expansion or contraction thereof, thus maintaining, through the medium of the caulk-weld 9, a perfect fluid seal between the side wall and bottom of the tank. The extensive contacting surfaces between the concrete and the remaining side of the angle 6 serves to establish an adequate fluid seal between the concrete and the angle. The same is true of the metal fin I2 in augmenting the seal between the concrete and the roof supporting column II.

The reinforcing mesh I6 serves to prevent the breaking up of the bed through forces tending to apply vertical stresses thereto.

In Fig. 4 I have shown a modified form of the joint structure wherein the fluid tight seal between the walls 2 of the tank and the concrete bottom 5 is attained through the medium of an annular member 18 of lighter stock than the steel side walls secured, as by plug-wells Hi, to the side walls and curved downwardly into and embedded within the concrete bottom as shown at 2|. The member l8 being more flexible than the side walls of the tank is free to flex during expansion or contraction of the tank walls thereupon preserving the fluid seal of the joint so formed. As in the case of the angle member 6 the member l8 may be caulk-welded to the side walls as shown at 22 to provide a tight seal be tween the flexible member and the steel tank walls.

While I have described a preferred embodiment of my invention it is to be understood that I do not limit myself to any of the details hereinabove set forth except as defined by the following claims, which should be construed as broadly as the prior art will permit.

I claim:

1. In a tank having sheet steel side walls and a congrfi bottom, an annular metal member of greater rigidity than said steel side walls secured to the inner surface of said side wall to provide a fluid tight seal therebetween, said member having a horizontal portion circumferentially embedded interiorly of said concrete bottom, the surface area of said embedded portion of said member being greater than the area of contact between said steel side walls and said concrete bottom.

2. In a tank having metal side walls and a concrete bottom, an annular metal member having a substantially L-shaped cross section and of greater rigidity than said metal side walls having its innermost portion embedded in the peripheral portion of said concrete bottom and having its outermost portion secured to the inner wall of said side walls to form a fluid seal therebetween.

3. In a tank having metal side walls and a concrete bottom, a metal angle, the legs of which are of greater thickness and rigidity than said metal side walls, having one leg parallel with the inner surface of said metal side wall and joined thereto to provide a fluid tight seal therebetween, the other leg of said metal angle being embedded in said concrete.

4. In a tank having sheet steel side walls and a concrete bottom, an annular metal member of greater rigidity than said steel side walls secured to the inner surface of said side wall to provide a fluid tight seal therebetween along a line above said concrete bottom, said member having a horizontal portion circumferentially embedded interiorly of said concrete bottom, said concrete bottom having a horizontally disposed reenforcing member embedded therein in a plane of the embedded portion of said annular metal member.

5. In a tank having sheet steel side walls, a vertical supporting member within the confines of the side walls and a concrete bottom rising above the lower extremity of the side walls and said supporting member, an annular metal member of greater rigidity than said side walls secured to the inner surface of the side walls circumferentially of the tank to provide a fluid tight seal therebetween, said member having a portion circumferentially embedded in said concrete bottom, a metal fin secured to and encompassing said supporting member and entirely embedded in said concrete bottom, the joint between said fin and said supporting member being fluid tight, and a reenforcing member horizontally embedded in said concrete bottom, said reenforcing member extending substantially throughout the entire area of the bottom and located above the embedded portion of said annular member and said fin.

6. In a tank having metal side walls and a concrete bottom, a relatively flexible annular metal member having one portion thereof socured to the inner surface of said side wall above the concrete bottom to form a fluid tight seal therebetween and another portion thereof extending transversely to said first mentioned portion and circumferentially embedded in said concrete bottom thereby to form a seal between the metal side walls and concrete bottom of the tank.

7. In a tank having metal side walls and a concrete bottom, a flexible metal sealing member having a portion thereof secured to the inner wall of the tank above the concrete bottom and another portion thereof embedded in said concrete bottom.

8. A liquid storage tank comprising, an upighicylindrioal sheet steel sjdgjygl Sheet steel bottom secured to the lower end of said side wall, a relatively l g'g gjgmreflfilottomadisposed upon said steel bottom, an annular metal member secured at its outermost portion to the inner surface of said sheet steel side wall to provide a liquid tight joint therebetween above the said concrete bottom and having its innermost portion located in a plane parallel with said steel bottom and entirely embedded in said concrete bottom, the contacting area between said concrete bottom and said innermost portion of said annular member being greater than the area of contact between said concrete bottom and said steel side wall, and reinforcing means embedded in said concrete bottom above said innermost portion of said annular member.

CLAUDE P. McNEIL. 

